All posts tagged: scientist

Scientist Says He Found Evidence Our Entire Universe Is Trapped Inside a Black Hole

Scientist Says He Found Evidence Our Entire Universe Is Trapped Inside a Black Hole

Published by José

A researcher has made a puzzling discovery while analyzing observations taken by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. While analyzing images for the telescope’s Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES), Kansas State University associate professor of computer science Lior Shamir found that out of the 263 galaxies examined, two thirds of them rotated clockwise, while only a third rotated counterclockwise, as detailed in a paper published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. This challenges the assumption that any given universe would have half of them spinning one way, with the rest spinning counter to that, according to a press release about the discovery. “It is still not clear what causes this to happen, but there are two primary possible explanations,” said Shamir in a statement. “One explanation is that the universe was born rotating. That explanation agrees with theories such as black hole cosmology, which postulates that the entire universe is the interior of a black hole.” The findings add credence to an existing, Russian doll-like theory called “Schwarzschild cosmology,” which suggests that …

NASA Just Fired Its Chief Scientist, Won’t Hire Another One

NASA Just Fired Its Chief Scientist, Won’t Hire Another One

Published by José

NASA has eliminated key science offices — its chief scientist and her office — according to an internal email obtained by Axios. The news comes less than a week after Ars Technica reported that the Trump administration is expected to slash the space agency’s science budget by as much as 50 percent, an “extinction-level event for space science and exploration in the United States,” as Planetary Society chief of space policy Casey Dreier told the publication. Now that chief scientist Katherine Calvin has been let go, the future of space science in the country is as uncertain as ever. In the email, acting NASA administrator Janet Petro said that the cuts were in response to president Donald Trump’s executive orders aimed at slashing budgets across departments. Apart from the office of the chief scientist, the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility branch of NASA’s Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity was cut as well, affecting around 20 people, per Axios. NASA’s office of the chief scientist was created to ensure that the agency’s scientific endeavors …

A Cancer Scientist Got Fired and Replaced Their Research Data With Wildest Thing You Can Imagine

A Cancer Scientist Got Fired and Replaced Their Research Data With Wildest Thing You Can Imagine

Published by José

Image by Getty / Futurism Anyone who’s ever left a bad job knows the temptation to pull off a petty stunt on your last day. It’s one thing if you work at Little Caesar’s. But as one cancer researcher found out, sometimes it’s best to leave your parting thoughts to an email. Last week, a federal jury found a former Stanford University researcher guilty of tampering with protected email servers. Which somehow sounds better than what actually happened: Naheed Mangi was convicted on several charges for deleting breast cancer research data and replacing it with insults directed at her former supervisor. It’s a trial over ten years in the making: back in 2013, Mangi was let go of her job as a research coordinator overseeing an experimental breast cancer treatment due to performance issues. Though no longer welcome to log into Stanford’s clinical database, Mangi’s account wasn’t revoked until the next day. So the former researcher indulged in a costly romp through the digital garden, falsifying patient records with nonsense information, insulting clinical doctors, and …

This computer scientist uses math to help people be treated fairly

This computer scientist uses math to help people be treated fairly

Published by skeptic

academic: Relating to school, classes or things taught by teachers in formal institutes of learning (such as a college). algorithm: A group of rules or procedures for solving a problem in a series of steps. Algorithms are used in mathematics and in computer programs for figuring out solutions. app: Short for application, or a computer program designed for a specific task. astronomy: The area of science that deals with celestial objects, space and the physical universe. People who work in this field are called astronomers. computer science: The scientific study of the principles and use of computers. Scientists who work in this field are known as computer scientists. Ph.D.: (also known as a doctorate) A type of advanced degree offered by universities — typically after five or six years of study — for work that creates new knowledge. People qualify to begin this type of graduate study only after having first completed a college degree (a program that typically takes four years of study). physics: The scientific study of the nature and properties of matter …

Anthropic’s chief scientist on 5 ways agents will be even better in 2025

Anthropic’s chief scientist on 5 ways agents will be even better in 2025

Published by skeptic

2/ Agents will understand context   “Claude needs to learn enough about your particular situation and the constraints that you operate under to be useful. Things like what particular role you’re in, what styles of writing or what needs you and your organization have. ANTHROPIC “I think that we’ll see improvements there where Claude will be able to search through things like your documents, your Slack, etc., and really learn what’s useful for you. That’s underemphasized a bit with agents. It’s necessary for systems to be not only useful but also safe, doing what you expected. “Another thing is that a lot of tasks won’t require Claude to do much reasoning. You don’t need to sit and think for hours before opening Google Docs or something. And so I think that a lot of what we’ll see is not just more reasoning but the application of reasoning when it’s really useful and important, but also not wasting time when it’s not necessary.” 3/ Agents will make coding assistants better “We wanted to get a very …

This teen materials scientist wants to save the Great Salt Lake

This teen materials scientist wants to save the Great Salt Lake

Published by skeptic

behavior: The way something, often a person or other organism, acts towards others, or conducts itself. chemistry: The field of science that deals with the composition, structure and properties of substances and how they interact. Scientists use this knowledge to study unfamiliar substances, to reproduce large quantities of useful substances or to design and create new and useful substances. (about compounds) Chemistry also is used as a term to refer to the recipe of a compound, the way it’s produced or some of its properties. People who work in this field are known as chemists. (in social science) A term for the ability of people to cooperate, get along and enjoy each other’s company. climate: The weather conditions that typically exist in one area, in general, or over a long period. climate change: Long-term, significant change in the climate of Earth. It can happen naturally or in response to human activities, including the burning of fossil fuels and clearing of forests. conserve: To protect, as from loss or degradation. data: Facts and/or statistics collected together …

Three sentenced to death in Iran over killing of top nuclear scientist | News

Three sentenced to death in Iran over killing of top nuclear scientist | News

Published by Sam

Three suspects are accused of involvement in the murder of scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh and spying for Israel. Iran’s judiciary says three people have been sentenced to death after a court found them guilty of spying for Israel and involvement in the killing of a top nuclear scientist. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed when his car was ambushed on a highway outside the capital in November 2020. “The preliminary legal proceedings took place in Urmia, where these individuals were sentenced to execution; the case is currently in the appeals process,” Asghar Jahangir, spokesman of the Iranian judiciary, told a news conference in Tehran on Tuesday. “After some investigations, three people out of eight arrested in West Azarbaijan province, were accused of committing espionage for the occupying regime of Israel,” Jahangir said. He added that the three are also “accused of transporting equipment into Iran for the assassination of martyr Fakhrizadeh under the guise of smuggling alcoholic beverages”. The decision came following a “comprehensive investigation”, the Iranian official said, adding that charges against four other suspects are under …

Scientist Accidentally Discovers Ancient Mayan City While Browsing Web

Scientist Accidentally Discovers Ancient Mayan City While Browsing Web

Published by José

“The government never knew about it; the scientific community never knew about it.” Valeriana Uncovered While combing through detailed three-dimensional LiDAR maps of areas covered in dense vegetation, an archeologist uncovered a lost Mayan city called Valeriana in the jungles of southern Mexico. As detailed in a new study published in the journal Antiquity, a team of scientists led by Tulane University PhD student Luke Auld-Thomas, made the discovery after surveying an area roughly the size of Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital. Bafflingly, Auld-Thomas says he made the discovery “by accident” while browsing data on the internet. “I was on something like page 16 of Google search and found a laser survey done by a Mexican organization for environmental monitoring,” he said in a statement. Auld-Thomas and his colleagues from Tulane University’s Department of Anthropology found evidence of more than 6,500 pre-Hispanic structures in Campeche, Mexico, including iconic stone pyramids. “We didn’t just find rural areas and smaller settlements,” Auld-Thomas said. “We also found a large city with pyramids right next to the area’s only highway, near …

Political scientist John Curtice awarded Holyoake Lecture Medal

Political scientist John Curtice awarded Holyoake Lecture Medal

Published by skeptic

Humanists UK returned to Manchester for the 2024 Holyoake Lecture, given by distinguished psephologist and political scientist Professor John Curtice, the recipient of the Humanists UK Holyoake Lecture Medal. Professor Curtice’s lecture focused on the phenomenon of ‘culture wars’ in the UK, analysing how shifts in public attitudes and values are influencing politics and society. Issues like national pride, women’s and minority rights, and immigration are challenging long-standing British identities and contributing to a new, increasingly fragmented political landscape. Professor Curtice argued that the UK is becoming increasingly divided along a libertarian-authoritarian axis – a departure from the previously more salient ‘left-right’ divide. This new fault line runs across existing political camps, and separates those who prioritise personal freedom, social diversity, and global integration from those who favour social order, national sovereignty, and traditional authority. This shift, he suggested, was being driven by a confluence of factors, including rising educational attainment, secularisation, as well as the growing influence of younger, more progressive generations. As liberalism progresses, its fruits become more politically contested. As a result, …

When is the best time to drink a protein shake? Here’s what one supplement scientist thinks

When is the best time to drink a protein shake? Here’s what one supplement scientist thinks

Published by skeptic

Fit&Well created this content as part of a paid partnership with Onnit. The contents of this article are entirely independent and solely reflect the editorial opinion of Fit&Well. A protein shake is a quick and convenient way to increase your protein intake, but is there an optimal time to drink one? Some people have one immediately after a workout, others prefer one before bed. However, Steven Kahn, a product development scientist at Onnit, suggests there may be a tendency to overthink the issue. When is the best time to drink a protein shake? “I don’t think there’s a bad time to take whey protein,” says Kahn. “Ultimately, as long as you’re hitting your daily protein goals, that’s more important than the timing of anything you’re eating or consuming.” However, Kahn says there could be a benefit in reaching for your shaker soon after your gym session. “You are going to have a slightly better response to protein immediately post-workout, especially if you’re training fasted in the morning. The impact would be a little more elevated …